Warwickshire Virtual School

Virtual school heads continue to develop their strategic leadership role in promoting the educational outcomes of children aged 0-18 across all education settings:   

• for children with a social worker (CWSW) who have an open CiN or CP plan due to safeguarding or welfare reasons
• for children who have previously had a social worker (Ever-6 CWSW) who have had an open CiN or CP plan in the last 6 years due to safeguarding or welfare reasons
• for children in kinship care arrangements.

DFE - Promoting the education of children with a social worker and children in kinship care arrangements

The Virtual School has a strategic leadership role to champion the educational attendance, attainment, and progress of children with a social worker by:

• making visible the disadvantages that children with a social worker can experience, enhancing partnerships between education settings and local authorities, including with children’s social care, to help all agencies hold high aspirations for these children
• promoting practice that supports children’s engagement in education, recognising that attending an education setting is an important factor in helping to keep children safe from harm
• levelling up children’s outcomes to narrow the attainment gap so every child has the opportunity to reach their potential.

Education Adviser for CWSW

The education adviser for CWSW will:

• enhance partnerships between education settings and the local authority so agencies can work together in a child focused manner
• identify the needs of the cohort and address barriers to poor educational outcomes to ensure pupils make educational progress
• offer advice and support to key professionals such as social workers, DSLs, designated teachers, and school leaders to help children make progress, including through increasing their confidence in using evidence-based interventions

Professionals supporting Ever-6 / CWSW can contact our adviser for information and advice.

• Education Adviser for CWSW: sharonharris@warwickshire.gov.uk 

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Advice and guidance

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)

Children with social workers have been identified as a group of children who face significant barriers to education as a result of experiences of adversity, most commonly abuse and neglect. These are known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES).

Schools are encouraged to become Trauma Informed and Attachment Aware (TIAAS) via our training offer.

Attendance

Regularly attending school, education, or college is vital for children’s educational progress, their wellbeing, and their wider development. Children and young people become more vulnerable when they are not in education every day.

Read Warwickshire’s School attendance guidance.

The CWSW education adviser works closely with an Attendance Adviser from Warwickshire Attendance Service (WAS) to provide information and advice to professionals where attendance is of concern.  We promote the use of attendance targets on CiN or CP plans to help raise aspirations.

Behaviour

Education settings are encouraged to look carefully at their current behaviour policies, processes and practice, and consider whether these are consistent with Trauma Informed and Attachment Aware best practice.

• Put relationships first
• Maintain clear boundaries and expectations around behaviour
• Establish a whole school approach to inclusion
• Encourage parent/carer engagement and involvement.

Education

Prior experiences can affect children’s attendance, learning, behaviour, and wellbeing and, if children cannot access support, they may struggle to reach their full potential. Even after a child no longer has a social worker, poor educational outcomes can persist

With the proper support, the aspirations of these children can be raised, and they can go on to achieve more than their peers.

Schools and settings should identify a CWSW leader to:

• Champion the needs of CWSW and promote effective practice
• Raise awareness of staff of the barriers to success and equip staff to help them overcome them
• Ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to help pupils meet their potential
• Attend relevant training (and signpost other members of staff too)
• Identify pupils subject to CIN, CP or are now Ever-6 CWSW on the school’s Management Information System
• Track educational progress and attainment, including attendance.
• Include education targets on CiN or CP plans.
• Reflect on school policies to consider what systemic barriers may limit progress
• Establish good working relationships with other agencies to raise aspirations and improve outcomes

Partnerships

Virtual School works in close partnership with a range of professionals. This includes:

• Social Care
• Schools / settings
• Education Services

Professionals supporting (Ever-6) CWSW can contact our adviser for educational information and advice.

Pupil Premium

The pupil premium grant provides funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools in England.

Pupil premium is not a personal budget for individual pupils, and schools do not have to spend pupil premium so that it solely benefits pupils who meet the funding criteria. It can be used:

• to support other pupils with identified needs, such as those who have or have had a social worker, or who act as a carer
• for whole class interventions which will also benefit non-disadvantaged pupils

Schools must show how they are using their pupil premium effectively by publishing a statement on their website each academic year using the DfE template

SEND

Warwickshire’s SEND local offer brings together information about the local services and support available across education, health, and social care for families with children and young people aged 0 to 25, who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Some children with a social worker may have a Special Education Need or Disability (SEND).  Educational settings have a duty to use their best endeavours to meet the educational needs of children with SEND.

For more information visit SEND Local Offer – Warwickshire

Training

The Virtual School provides training for:

• Designated Teachers
• CWSW leads
• Social workers
• Foster carers
• Teacher Training students
• School staff

Our training offer can be found here:  Warwickshire Virtual School Training

Transitions

Positive transitions are vital for all children’s emotional well-being and achievement, and planning for these transitions is fundamental to effective practice. Some children may also need additional enhanced transition arrangements.

Warwickshire’s Educational Psychology Service have produced a series of videos to help support parents and children during transition periods (moving to reception, primary and secondary schooling): Transitions.